MaxRedline

Finicum's Folly

The footage is edited for brevity. In trying to evade the roadblock, the FBI says that Finicum "nearly hit" an FBI agent, but it appears that he tried to avoid hitting him, which is why Finicum's truck got stuck in the snowbank. However, after exiting his truck, Finicum initially appeared to be cooperating - hands out to his sides - but then he reached for his jacket pocket. Fatal mistake.

Hard to tell from the footage, but it sort of looks like he was going for the left pocket. Curious, as FBI says he had a 9 mm. semi-automatic pistol in his right jacket pocket. But in any case, when you're facing cops with weapons drawn, you probably don't want to go for any pocket at all.

Welp, he said they'd never take him alive. And he was right about that.

The idiocy was strong in him.

Tell Me Lies, Tell Me Sweet Little Lies

It seems that Obama is incapable of honesty; his latest lie being that his Trans-Pacific Partnership deal will float the boats of all Americans. An analysis out of Tufts University suggests that he's better suited for a job at Burger King, because this is a Whopper.

A new university analysis of the Trans-Pacific Partnership trade deal finds that President Obama's promises of sweeping economic benefits are not only wrong, but that the treaty will actually hurt America, cut jobs, and further whack GDP.

The analysis from the Global Development and Environment Institute at Tufts University near Boston found that some 448,000 jobs will be eliminated in the trade deal and that Gross Domestic Product, promised to nudge up, will go down.

It said that U.S. jobs would be "hardest hit" of all the 12 nations in the deal, a huge part of Obama's legacy agenda.

Half a million jobs lost, and the GDP - already headed south - will fall even further. Nothing that he promised bears the slightest resemblance to the truth, but then, he campaigned on "fundamental transformation", and a lot of the idiocracy bought it without taking time to consider whether that transformation would be beneficial.

The U.S. economy has just suffered through the worst ten-year period in terms of economic growth since the Great Depression. This lost decade of despair and hopelessness has led to more than 6 million more Americans aged 16-64 dropping out of the workforce than would normally be expected. 

With the near-disastrous Gross Domestic Product for the fourth quarter of 2015 being announced at 0.7 percent annualized by the Bureau of Economic Analysis and just 2.4 percent for the year, America cannot be allowed to continue down this pathway to the poorhouse.

Despite all the boasting about "job creation", it remains that today there are fewer people aged 16 to 64 working than was the case in 2007. And Obama has done whatever he can, whenever he can, to make things worse. "Fundamental transformation", indeed.

 

Moda Is Not Just Merely Dead, It's Really Most Sincerely Dead

OG was kind enough to forward a flashalert over this way:

(Salem) -- The Oregon Department of Consumer and Business Services, Division of Financial Regulation announced today that it has issued an order of supervision to Moda Health Plan, Inc., because of concerns over its financial condition. At the same time, the department will begin working with Moda to transfer its individual market plans to another carrier.

An order of supervision allows the department to have a representative on site and in control of all financial decisions to ensure that consumers are protected. The order prohibits Moda from issuing new policies or renewing current policies in the individual market, and from adding new groups. The order also requires the company to obtain sufficient capital and present a business plan to DCBS that clearly demonstrates that it can operate in sound financial condition going forward. The supervision order is available at http://www.cbs.state.or.us/external/ins/admin_actions/actions_2016/insurer_2016/financial_2016/other_2016/16-13-001.pdf.

The department took this action because of Moda's excessive operating losses and inadequate capital and surplus. Capital and surplus is the amount a company's assets exceed its liabilities. The required minimum increases as the company assumes more insurance risk.

"Our primary goal is to ensure consumers are protected," said Patrick Allen, director of the Department of Consumer and Business Services. "We will continue to work closely with the company to find a sustainable path going forward while minimizing risk to consumers."

The order became effective late yesterday; however, Moda's insurance policies may still appear on HealthCare.gov through the end of open enrollment, Sunday, Jan. 31. DCBS advises consumers still shopping for plans to choose a carrier other than Moda. In the event that Oregonians already enrolled with Moda need to switch plans, there will be a special enrollment period. In the meantime, Moda policyholders can continue to access medical services and get their claims paid.

DCBS, which also runs the Oregon Health Insurance Marketplace, will keep Moda customers apprised of new developments and actions they may need to take.

As of Sept. 30, 2015, Moda enrolled a total of about 244,000 Oregonians in the commercial market, including 95,000 in the individual market, 16,000 in the small group market, and 129,000 in the large group market. Moda also has members in the associations and trusts market.

In related news, Alaska followed Oregon yesterday in banning Moda from accepting new or renewal policies in the state. As Moda was one of only two insurers operating there, Alaska has effectively handed Blue Cross/Blue Shield a monopoly in the health insurance market.

The Oregon Department of Consumer and Business Services said its supervision order calls for the company to obtain sufficient capital and to present a business plan that demonstrates Moda can operate in sound financial manner into the future. The business plan is due by Friday.

This Moda thing is now exploding in spectacular fashion: having pulled out of Washington and California, Moda was operating in only Oregon and Alaska, and now both have ordered them to cease operations and transfer policies for individuals to other carriers. For the time being, they're permitted to continue providing group coverage - but only to groups already enrolled; no new ones can be added. And it appears that Congress-critters are also getting involved.

Kalashnikov To Produce AK-47s In Florida

Those guns have shot up in value since Obama's sanctions (imposed after Russia annexed Crimea) banned importation of the weapon. In response, Kalashnikov USA severed its ties with its Russian counterpart and undertook an ambitious plan to manufacture the rifles here in the USA; specifically, in Pompano Beach.

Given the general craziness that seems to dominate in Florida, this might seem sort of like opening a McDonalds in the cardiac care wing of a hospital, but not to worry - the company will only sell the weapons to out-of-state dealers.

Schizophrenics May Be Relieved

In a baby's brain, as many as 40,000 neurons and synaptic connections are developed per second. By the time they hit toddler-hood, they've got far more than they need, so synaptic pruning gets underway; this streamlines things for optimal cognitive function - but in schizophrenics the process gets out of hand and too many connections are severed. Now, thanks to a groundbreaking study published two days ago, we know why this occurs - and how to possibly control it.

In patients with schizophrenia, a variation in a single position in the DNA sequence marks too many synapses for removal and that pruning goes out of control. The result is an abnormal loss of gray matter. The genes involved coat the neurons with “eat-me signals,” said study co-author Beth Stevens, a neuroscientist at Children’s Hospital and Broad. “They are tagging too many synapses. And they’re gobbled up.”

The arrangement encodes for production of abnormally high levels of a protein called C4, which then roams the brain and tags connections for removal by depositing its "sister" protein, C3. In schizophrenics, their brains become essentially an "all you can eat" restaurant rather than a limited-item menu establishment. The more C4 produced, the more synapses eliminated. This affords for the first time a potential venue for analysis and treatment before the onset of psychosis can occur:

“Future treatments designed to suppress excessive levels of pruning by counteracting runaway C4 in at risk individuals might nip in the bud a process that could otherwise develop into psychotic illness,” again according to the NIH statement. “And thanks to the head start gained in understanding the role of such complement proteins in immune function, such agents are already in development.”

MODA's Dead

They've dropped out of Washington and California, and today they've been told to stop offering individual health insurance in Oregon. The state's decided that they're a menace to public health.

The State Department of Consumer and Business Services today issued a supervisory order over Moda Health, saying the Portland-based insurer has inadequate capital to continue operating in 2016.

The department is requiring Moda, the state's largest provider of insurance to individuals, to raise more capital and to transfer its individual market plans to another carrier, according to its 60-day Order of Immediate Supervision.

Continuation of its business, the order says, “is hazardous to the public or to its insureds.”

The company will be banned for the next five years.

Maybe spending $40 million on naming rights to the Rose Garden Arena wasn't such a good idea.

BREAKING NEWS

My dog has announced his candidacy for the office of President of the United States. Like Granny, Bernie, and Trump, his platform includes free food and universal veterinary care. He also believes in a dog's right to choose, and so he supports what he terms "reproductive rights" for all.

As for illegal aliens, his plan to deal with that involves recruitment of other dogs to bite them in the ankles.

Another Reason To Bail Out Of Portland, Oregon

"Streetcar" Charlie, ostensibly the mayor of the burg, has a laundry list of things he wants to get done before he leaves orifice. High on that list: passing a "residential energy disclosure requirement". He wants every home for sale or rent to post an "energy performance score", which of course the owner would be required to pay for prior to selling or renting. They'd have to pay for an "energy analysis" - which sounds like one of the former First Squeeze's wet dreams. After all, she fancied herself as "working for the Earth".

This is a really great idea, because it would add to housing costs in a city where rents are already unaffordable and home ownership is completely out of the park for many people. But it's "Green&Sustainable", so Streetcar's all in on that.

We really like our place here in the west hills, with the views and despite the winds - but we've seen too much from up here, so we're hoping to peddle the place and move outside the reach of Portland and the Metro regional "government". Streetcar's move just amps us up to move sooner than later.

Always Have Liked Tim Allen

What a straight shooter:

"The Clintons are like herpes: Just when you think they're gone, they show up again."

There's Your Problem, Right There

Public employee unions euphemistically calling themselves "Our Oregon" (although it translates into "their Oregon") are pushing Initiative Petition 28, which would tax those mean, nasty businesses on their gross receipts and force them to "pay their fair share". Note: not a tax on profits, but on gross receipts of $25 million. It'll raise prices, but they claim it wouldn't cost you a dime. You know, I know, and they know that's an outright lie. It would also kill jobs, but as long as public employee unions have theirs - who cares?

How much does it cost to run a bakery? You have to buy equipment and supplies, hire staff, pay for the building and utilities. And while you might have "gross receipts" of $25 million, your actual profit is nowhere near that. Ovens cost money to acquire and run, and mixing machines and other equipment don't come cheap. Staffing is a huge cost as well, especially since you now have to provide paid time off and health insurance, in addition to paying a huge increase in minimum wage when the Democratics put that into place.

The initiative has its roots in a Kitzhaber-led push to tackle the belief, widespread in Salem, that the money flowing into state government has not kept up with demands for government services.

Therein lies the problem: of course it's a widespread belief in Salem. That's because they fail to recognize that the only demands most people in the real world have do not involve government "services"; rather, most of us would prefer to see government stop wasting our money and cease their ongoing efforts to relieve us of the contents of our wallets.

They believe that the only important jobs in the state are theirs - regardless of how poorly they perform them.